Georgetown focused on 'balanced,' 'versatile' Utah team


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PORTLAND, Oregon — It’s a game both Utah and Georgetown need to win to prove its mettle in the NCAA tournament and for postseason success.

Georgetown consistently makes it to the NCAA tournament but has struggled in recent years to make it past the first week of tournament play, while Utah is hoping to return to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade. But only one team can survive and advance to the next round of play, keeping the hope alive for yet another day.

Utah features a top 15 offense behind its motion style of play — an offensive strategy intended to maximize shot selection and its high field goal percentage. As a result, Utah has the 11th best field goal percentage in the country and seventh best 3-point field goal percentage. Utah also features a top 10 defense as opposing offenses struggle to get shots off and score points.

“They’re big, they’re versatile,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said. “They do a good job of just staying in front of you. There’s no easy basket. You watch tape after tape after tape and no one gets an easy basket against them. They really make you work every possession to get a decent look at the basket.”

Thompson said Utah’s offense, too, gives teams fits as a result of its balanced attack and ability to make a consistent amount of 3-pointers with multiple players.

“They’re a balanced team, and once you start focusing on one person too much, they share the game and they make sure that someone else gets the looks, gets the shot,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have to be active, aggressive. Our communication (Saturday) is going to have to be very good with each other.”

“We just have to stay in front of them,” Georgetown guard Jabril Trawick said. “When Delon (Wright) gets edges, gets into the lane, he’s a really good passer in finding his teammates. If we stay in front on pick-and-roll, do well on the pick-and-roll defense, I think we’ll be fine.


They're a balanced team, and once you start focusing on one person too much, they share the game and they make sure that someone else gets the looks, gets the shot. We're going to have to be active, aggressive. Our communication (Saturday) is going to have to be very good with each other.

–John Thompson III


“When they get edges, that’s when they start getting 3-pointers,” Trawick added. “We just want to stand in front of the guys and play great defense.”

While the Hoyas don’t feature a highly touted offense of defense, it’s their size and weight difference that creates a problem for teams, including Utah. Georgetown’s Josh Smith, a 6-foot-10, 350 pound center, alone makes it difficult for any opponent to get shots off in the post. For that reason, Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said his team will have to play “scrappy” and utilize his team’s depth in a physical battle.

“I would anticipate we’re going to have to put a little size out there. Really from our one to five to start with, we’re in a different weight class than Georgetown all the way through,” Krystkowiak said. “I think we have a size disadvantage and a weight disadvantage at each of those positions, and we’re going to have to scrap a little bit and certainly call in a few more troops, I would guess, to have a chance.

“Defensively we’ve been really good all year,” Krystkowiak added. “Whether that carried over to this environment, I don’t know. But we usually have a pretty darn good plan and try to figure out a way to make it difficult for other teams.”

Georgetown guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera said his team’s offensive playmakers will help counter Utah’s defensive mindset and ability to stop the shot.

“I think we have a lot of offensive weapons that, you know, will be pretty hard for them to try to contain everything,” Smith-Rivera said. “I think as long as we execute pretty well, I think we’ll be fine. We’re a pretty good defensive team ourselves, so it will be a battle.”

But Wright said Utah is up to the challenge.

“I think we’ve faced good guards like them all year long,” he said. “It won’t be too much of a difference. We just have to play with a mindset that we have to play good defense and hope that our bigs will help us.”

Utah (25-8, 13-5) will play Georgetown (22-10, 12-6) Saturday at approximately 5:45 p.m. at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The winner will go on to play in the Sweet 16 in Houston, Texas next week against the winner of No. 1 Duke and No. 8 San Diego State.

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